During a conference call with analysts, Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg said WhatsApp will help Facebook as it continues to transition to a more mobile-focused company. It's an "extremely high-quality product" with strong engagement, he said, and does not get as much attention in the U.S. as it deserves.

WhatsApp also has 450 million very valuable users. That could quickly surge to 1 billion as WhatsApp is adding about 1 million customers per day, Zuckerberg said, and any company with 1 billion users is extremely valuable. Facebook has said time and time again that it aims to connect the world, and now WhatsApp is tasked with helping the social network achieve that goal.

But while Zuck and the gang talk world domination, other tech startups are likely wondering if they too could secure such an enormous sum for their big idea. Inking a billion-dollar deal is the goal of any entrepreneur who heads to Silicon Valley, but are there any firms that could actually make it happen?

Hit the slideshow for a look at 10 smaller companies that have been making waves in recent months, and could become the next billion-dollar company.

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Pebble

The Pebble smartwatch is a Kickstarter success story, and has sold more than 300,000 units since it started shipping last year. Pebble recently took its design up a notch with the Steel version of its smartwatch, and launched an app store to make its gadgets worth the $150-$249 price tag. Perhaps Samsung could take a few notes for its Galaxy Gear followup?